


A New Normal

by ms__sarcastic



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2020-03-02 17:58:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18816085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ms__sarcastic/pseuds/ms__sarcastic
Summary: The halls feel haunted, reminders of their past life and painful memories. They were gone and now they have to readjust to a world they don't know.





	1. Flash

He knows something is different. His body ached, muscles sore. He opens his eyes and he's back in his living room. it felt like hours since he saw his hands blow away.

He knows something happened, because his father walks out of the study, with the same bewilderment in his eyes. A maid he doesn't recognize walks in and drops the laundry she was holding and yells out for his mother.

He doesn't know what happened. His mother rushed to him and his father, his little brothers following suit, except their taller than him now. but that's impossible. They were 12 year old twins. Except now they were older than him.

He knows whatever happened was bad. When he finally goes outside, he sees many children running to their parents, who undoubtedly faced the same fate as him.

He knows Iron Man is dead. He sacrificed himself to return everyone. He never thought he'd owe his life to him in such a weird way, but he does. he cries that night, finally realizing he had actually _died_.

He doesn't know how he feel s going back to school. Normalcy seems so foreign to him after the time he spent locked away  in his room, just trying to process the fact that he died and 5 years passed by.

He knows he won't make it through the day. He takes a deep breath as he enters the school, hoping his breakfast doesn't make an appearance. He feels completely lost, knowing that none of these kids know who he is or who his dad is, because for the last five years, neither one of them existed.

He knows his friends are gone. Most of the decathlon team graduated years ago. The few familiar faces he recognizes seem like strangers, all of them probably just as lost as he was. he sits by himself that day. until a familiar curly head of hair sits in front him. They don't say anything. They don't need to.

He doesn't know how they became friends, but they did. They don't gossip in the halls or stay up late talking on the phone, but Michelle understood. When Peter and Ned join them the following week, no one says anything. they just have a silent agreement that no one has to talk. They only start talking when Ned shows up with Betty by his side, announcing that they are officially dating. after that, their small group begins to talk and things seem to slowly go back to some form of normal.

He doesn't know how long it will last, but he does know he hopes for a while. 

 


	2. Betty

It took two minutes for her to realize where she was.

It took two hours for the tears to stop. She tried really hard to put on a brave face. When her mom and sister saw her again, they hugged her and cried. For Betty it had felt like she had been asleep, maybe a couple of hours, but not a couple of years. The first couple days after she came back, her mother wouldn't let her out of her sight and insisted on doing everything for her.

It took two days for her mother to let her go outside to get the mail. Her dog Trixie had passed in the past five years. Her baby sister was no longer a baby. She was eleven and in middle school. Betty had missed out on five years of her sister's life that she'll never get back.

It took two weeks for her to return to Midtown. Going back to school was strange. She wasn't sure what made her sadder, seeing that the halls were full of unfamiliar faces or that some of those faces weren't so unfamiliar.

It took two months to finally return Cindy's texts. She had wanted to meet up and Betty hadn't had the courage to return her call. Her mailbox got full with voicemails. She finally decided to open them. She had listened to the voicemails over and over again. She cried in her room that night. Cindy sounded so mature. What did she expect? Cindy was 21 going on 22.

It took two trains to go to the café Cindy had suggested. Betty got there 20 minutes early, punctuality her strong suit. She nervously folded and unfolded her hands in her lap, trying to calm her nerves. When she heard the jingle of the door, she looked up. It was undoubtedly Cindy.

It took two coffees before they said a word to each other. Cindy was the first to speak. "I've missed you." Betty only nodded, sipping on her second cappuccino.

It took two more coffee dates before Betty could have a real conversation with Cindy without wanting to burst into tears. Cindy relegated her on her life for the past five years. How she took over as decathlon captain. How her and Abe dated in high school. How only half their class graduated.

It took two friends to push her to talk to Ned. He made her laugh, something she hadn't done in a awhile. at least not genuinely. He reminded her of the person she used to be, before.. before everything. He was funny and sweet and made her feel happy.

It took two dates for him to ask her to be his girlfriend.

It took two seconds for her to say yes.

 


	3. MJ

No one knew what had happened. Just here one minute and gone the next. She  doesn't remember too much of what happened before. Just that she was in the park, sketching a certain red and blue superhero she saw fly out of a bus.

No one knew how they came back. Even after the brief explanation by the government and their interpretation of the events that transpired, people were still confused. She stayed in her room, just drawing and drinking tea. Her parents were concerned with her withdrawal, but it's not like they weren't used to it.

No one knew that the people that died would come back. Things became awkward when her mother met her father's girlfriend. That was a very awkward dinner.

No one knew that they had died. At least not until those close to them described the world without them. Her father explained that it took him 4 and a half years to get over the loss of his wife and daughter.

No one knew the official story of what happened, because those that had, no longer lived. MJ knew that certain people were close to them.

No one knew what it would feel like to return to the world of the living as if nothing had happened. Her mother and father were staying in separate rooms. She would be starting school again.

No one knew that she sat with Flash because she actually missed him. when the other nerds joined and their table became _their_ table, she'd never admit that she was lonely and her friends reminded her that they were just as messed up as she was.

No one knew that she still had nightmares. Her parents got divorced. Her dad had moved in with Kate, his now fiancé. Her mother was taking it better than she was. so much for love till death due us part.

No knew that she knew who New York's spider themed vigilante was. I mean, it was obvious.

And no one needed to know that she may have the tiniest obsession with the dork behind the mask.

 


	4. Ned

He smiled when he found out that Peter was Spider-man. It was the coolest thing ever that his best friend was a super hero and technically an avenger. He didn't know what to expect when Peter left the bus that morning. He specifically didn't know that he wouldn't come back.

He smiled and shrugged when people asked him about peter's whereabouts. Even if he knew, he could never tell them the truth. He was the guy in the chair, the faithful sidekick to Spider-man. Except that Spider-man hadn't answered any of his texts.

He smiled as he heard the click of the camera. He was at a cookout with his whole family. His Uncle Pat handed him a hotdog with all the fixings. But the hotdog didn't even make it to his plate. Ned looked up to see his uncle disintegrate before his eyes.

He smiled when he opened his eyes and he was back in his great aunt's backyard and it had all been a weird dream. Except there was only half the family there. His great aunt looked confused. His great uncle Gilbert raced outside with a  shotgun and immediately fell to his knees when he saw her.

He smiled when he ran up to his home and embraced his mother. His mother and father cried and held him and his sister so close. Then they said they had been gone 5 years.

He smiled when he walked into the halls and saw Peter. They hugged and did their bro handshake. Maybe they cried. It was like nothing had changed. Except everything had. The teachers all looked older or were brand new.

He smiled when Betty sat next to him in math and blushed when her arm brushed against his. They spent more time passing notes to each other than copying the notes.

He smiled when Betty had said yes to a date. When he got home, his face hurt from smiling all day. He smiled even brighter when she said yes to being his girlfriend.

He smiled when people began talking about Spider-Man's return.  He was back to being the guy in the chair and things were finally getting closer to normal.

He smiled when he noticed that Peter's therapy was working and he was starting to act like his old self yet. It had been months of watching Peter in silent pain. He couldn't talk about it with any of his friend because they didn't know.

He smiled when they all decided to join AcaDec again. Oh how he missed being quizzed about robotics and computers, even though MJ wasn't captain anymore

He smiled when he caught Peter staring at MJ during lunch. She hadn't noticed, nose buried in a book. Peter only blushed and went back to blissfully staring.

He smirked when Peter was adamant that MJ was only just a friend. It didn't matter that he was painfully obvious; he denied it to no end.

He smirked when MJ finally flirted back with peter, effectively causing Peter to shut down.

He laughed when peter shot up at 3 am at their sleepover, freaking out, mumbling "I like MJ". He laughed even harder when Peter tried (and failed) to ask MJ out.

He (alongside the rest of the cafeteria) cheered when Michelle asked Peter out instead.

 


End file.
